Manchester United miraculously overcame Newcastle United huddle

Manchester United fought back from two down to beat Newcastle and avert a defeat that would have put manager Jose Mourinho under immense pressure.

The hosts conceded twice in a lacklustre first 10 minutes with Kenedy and Yoshinori Muto breezing in to score. United briefly roused themselves with Marcus Rashford heading wide from five yards, but also needed David de Gea’s excellence to deny Muto his second and a potentially decisive third for the Magpies.

The hosts departed at the break to jeers – some of which were aimed at the club’s owner and executives, rather than the manager. But by the final whistle, it was the name of Mourinho that rang around Old Trafford. The Portuguese, who brought Alexis Sanchez, Juan Mata and Marouane Fellaini off the bench in pursuit of victory, saw his side reenergised after the break and two of his three substitutes find the net.

As Newcastle dropped deeper, Mata swept home a free-kick with 20 minutes left to trigger an onslaught on the visiting goal. Martial curled home six minutes later from Paul Pogba’s pass and, after goalkeeper Martin Dubravka pawed away Chris Smalling’s effort, Sanchez delivered the winner in the last minute of normal time, heading in Ashley Young’s cross.